Too soon
by Antonia Rose
Summary: One-shot. General Kenobi and the 212th are on their way to a rendezvous point with the 501st. It should be an uneventful journey but something tells Obi-Wan that it won't be.


**Too Soon**

The wind whistling through the trees and the heavy footsteps of a platoon of Clone Troopers, was all that could be heard far and wide.

Commander Cody lead his brothers through the forest, listening out for any disturbances. Before him his General walked ahead with soft, silent footsteps, apparently taking in things Cody couldn't even perceive. He radiated a sense of calm as he strode through the forest with purpose and confidence. It was a trait Cody had come to appreciate in his General. It helped him focus before a battle, and he had a feeling that there was going to be a battle.

General Kenobi halted and Cody raised his hand to stop his fellow Clones as he waited patiently for the Jedi to speak.

"I sense something." He said before leaping gracefully to the top of a tree. After a few moments of looking around, he jumped back down, landing soundlessly in front of Cody.

"Did you see anything?" Cody asked.

The General scanned his surroundings again before letting his blue-grey eyes rest on Cody. "Tell your men to stay alert. I sense there is more here than I can see." He cast one last unsettled glance to his left before putting on the calm yet alert look that Cody had become so used to seeing.

Cody nodded his understanding. "Yes, sir."

As he relayed the warning, he took his own blaster into his hand and then set off after the General. He knew that General Kenobi's warnings weren't to be taken lightly, so he remained alert.

The Jedi was already several paces ahead but made no move to take his own weapon into hand.

Cody turned as he heard a noise, raising his blaster, but it had merely been the wind unsettling the leaves. He turned his attention back to the path ahead and wasn't surprised to see that the Jedi hadn't been disturbed by the noise. He kept his course without wavering.

"I don't like this place." One of the Clones just behind Cody said, "It's too quiet."

Even though Cody couldn't see the General's face he could hear the smile when he spoke. "You should enjoy the silence while it lasts." He glanced back and Cody's suspicion was confirmed when he saw the smile that was barely visible through the General's beard. He could clearly see the glint of amusement in those surprisingly expressive eyes. Even if his face remained impassive, Cody had come to know his General well enough to read his eyes like a book. They held great wisdom and also great sorrows, traits of a man who had seen too much. _War will have that effect on you, _he thought. However, Cody had a feeling that it had been there even before the war truly started, but it was hardly his place to comment, so he didn't.

Another gust of wind blew through the forest, messing the General's usually neatly kept ginger hair. Running his hand through it, he quickly fixed the style.

"It's not much further to the rendezvous with General Skywalker. If we keep this pace, we should easily reach them before nightfall." With that he turned back to look at where he was going.

Despite the sense of warning he was getting, Obi-Wan remained strangely at peace as he took in his surroundings. The forest was truly a beautiful place, even if the Clones didn't take notice of it. It was a shame that war had managed to find its way here. The tall trees that stood around them held golden and red leaves that reflected the warm sunlight, very much like Obi-Wan's own hair was.  
He could feel the life around him, the Force connecting all of it and humming contently. He wanted to just close his eyes and listen, he could meditate here for hours, but there was no time for such things. He had a mission to fulfil.

Despite its beauty, Obi-Wan knew that this forest held dangers, so he remained alert.

* * *

After an hour of walking they reached a small lake in the forest. It's water reflected the sunlight on it's almost completely still surface. Only the wind created gentle ripples that crossed the lake.

"General?"

Obi-Wan turned to face Commander Cody.

"The men could use a moment's rest."

Obi-Wan looked up at the sun that stood high in the sky, indicating approximately midday. They had been walking for about 2 hours now. The days on this planet were short, it would be night in approximately 5 hours. They still had plenty of time, so he nodded. "Of course."

The Clones all settled down, reaching for water bottles and ration bars, whilst chatting here and there. Obi-Wan sat down and decided to use this time to meditate lightly after all. He still had the faint sense of foreboding, but it faded slightly in the calming waves of the Force. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath of the cool, sweet-scented air as he centred himself in the Force that surrounded him. He felt an oddly yet welcomely strong connection in this place.

With the war that was raging on, it was rare to find moments like this, that felt so serene. Moments where he could just sit and enjoy the beauty, he only wished the Clones could see and feel it as well.

He was pulled from his meditation violently as the Force called out a sudden warning. He looked around, trying to find its origin. But no one seemed alarmed and nothing seemed out of place.

The trees swayed gently in the wind. Clones sat in groups, resting, talking. A pair of clones were skipping stones on the lake.

* * *

Cody looked up as he caught the General's sudden movement from the corner of his eye. He stood and made his way hastily towards the now very alert Jedi Master.

"What is it, General?" He asked.

"I don't know." He replied as his eyes darted hastily from one group of Clones to the other, until finally those blue-grey eyes rested on the pair happily skipping stones. His eyes narrowed in concentration before flying open with sudden understanding.

"Get away from the lake!" He called out.

Immediately everyone stopped talking and hastily got to their feet, backing away from the lake.

No one dared to breathe as they watched the lake in apprehension. They didn't question the General who stood a step closer to the lake than anybody else. His hand resting lightly on the lightsaber that hung by his side, every muscle in his body seemed to be tense as he stood ready for anything.

Cody motioned for his men to follow suit. Soon everyone had their weapons drawn.

Complete silence filled the air.

All of a sudden, long tentacles sprung from the lake, breaking its smooth surface like glass. They lashed out trying to get hold of something. The General had his lightsaber in his hand and lit in a heartbeat. Its blue blade casting a ghostly glow over the Jedi's features.

The Clones opened fire in an attempt to keep the creature away.

One of its long arms managed to wrap itself around a Clone Trooper's leg, pulling him off his feet and into the air.

General Kenobi ran straight towards the Clone in trouble. He leaped high, twisting through the air with deadly elegance and bisected the tentacle, freeing the Clone.

"Retreat to the trees!" He called out and the Clones immediately obeyed. The General remained to fend off the creature and aid any Clones who had got themselves caught.

Suddenly Cody was forced to watch in dismay as one of the long tentacles managed to wrap themselves tightly around the General's upper body. He saw the Jedi struggle to free his arms that were wedged between his body and the tightening tentacle. He couldn't move to free himself and just as Cody took a step forward, the creature retracted its tentacles, pulling General Kenobi into the lake with them.

After a moment's shocked hesitation, Cody sprang into action.

"Boil, Trip, with me!" He called out to the two closest Clones.

The lake was completely calm again as the three Clones edged closer. It was most likely a bad idea to jump into the lake with that creature, but they wouldn't leave the General behind without a fight. Their helmets would allow them to breathe underwater for long enough to get General Kenobi out, assuming there wasn't too much trouble.

Carefully they waded into the lake and dove under the surface. The rest of the Clones stood at a safe distance with their blasters ready.

* * *

The tentacle gripped Obi-Wan so tightly that he couldn't take a breath before he was pulled into the cold depths of the lake. Every attempt he made to free himself only caused the creature to grip him more tightly. As he was pulled further down, he could see the creature, it looked a bit like an underwater sarlacc.

_Great. _Obi-Wan thought. If he could have, he would have sighed. _Typical. _He noted slightly sardonically.

He felt lightheaded as dark spots danced before his eyes. His chest ached painfully. His body grew numb and he felt his grip on the lightsaber he still held in his hand loosen.  
A sudden hopelessness sank in. He knew that Cody would come for him, but he feared it would be too late. Beyond the pain, he felt the Force offering comfort. Accepting death was something he had had to learn a long time ago. So, facing the inevitable, Obi-Wan grabbed a firm hold on the Force that sang and danced around him and let go of everything else.  
The last thing he saw was a figure approaching in the distance before his loose grip on consciousness finally slipped and he fell into the waves of the Force.

"_Obi-Wan." _

* * *

The Force swirled unhappily. Something was happening, something that shouldn't be happening. _Too soon, _it whispered.

But there was little that could be done to prevent it. The Force was powerful, but it couldn't do everything. Qui-Gon had come to know this well.

Someone was dying, someone the Force still had plans for.

Being one with the Force meant that Qui-Gon could feel with the Force, he felt when new people joined the endless currents of the Cosmic Force like he did all those years ago. This one however, felt different. Not only was the Force reluctant to let this happen, it also somehow felt personal to Qui-Gon.

After dying, the late Jedi Master had managed to keep his consciousness. He had yet to learn how to contact the living or manifest himself. Even after death, he was still learning. Like he had once said to Obi-Wan, _you never stop learning._

_Obi-Wan. _Even though his former Padawan didn't know it, Qui-Gon kept his eye on the young man. He had been there, he would always be there when Obi-Wan needed him. At his knighting, on dangerous missions, when he woke from nightmares and Qui-Gon would try to send him comfort through the Force, and he had been there when hiding his grief had become too much for the young Knight and Qui-Gon wanted more than anything to gather him in his arms, only to have himself be reminded that he could not.

_One day. _Qui-Gon assured himself. One day, they would speak again, Qui-Gon would learn and then, he would have one last thing to teach his apprentice. He looked forward to that day, he had so much he wanted to say, so much he wanted to hear. _One day. _

He would wait, however long it took, he would wait, patiently.

Again, he felt the disquiet in the Force and found himself drawn to pay attention to it. He suddenly had a sense of foreboding. He wouldn't be feeling this if it weren't someone he knew - someone he knew _well_.

He found himself in a forest. A beautiful place. He had always been particularly aware of the Living Force, but now, he felt every living thing in the forest, on the planet, in the galaxy, at once. He felt how it all connected and fit together.

He was drawn to a lake. He could see Clones standing around it, waiting anxiously, dreading what the outcome might be. He could feel the foreboding that hung in the air.

If Qui-Gon still had a heart, it would have dropped. He recognised this battalion of Clones. It was the battalion that Obi-Wan lead.

_Where's Obi-Wan? _But he knew the answer as he looked upon the lake.

"Obi-Wan." He said in dismay.

* * *

Obi-Wan knew that voice. It had been so long since he last heard it, but he would know it anywhere.

"Qui-Gon?"

"I'm here." Obi-Wan wasn't expecting a reply, but there it was. Two words that managed to bring tears to eyes that vowed to never cry again.

And then he saw him; the man Obi-Wan thought he would never get to see again. The one person who could turn the General and Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi into a 13-year-old Padawan again.

"You're here?" He asked with slight disbelief. But he didn't for a second doubt that Qui-Gon Jinn was standing in front of him, he could feel it so clearly.

"I'm always here." Qui-Gon said stepping closer. They were so close now, that Qui-Gon almost reached out. He stopped himself fearing the same thing would happen as always. He was cursed to never touch the living again.

But Obi-Wan beat him to it. In a moment of weakness, he stepped forwards and pulled his former Master into an embrace.

Qui-Gon's surprise only stopped him for a moment before he returned it. He didn't want to think about why he could hug his former Padawan, he just did.

He could feel Obi-Wan begin to let go, but he held on a moment longer, before releasing the young man, so he could look at him.

"You've grown up so much…" Qui-Gon said. There were a million things he could have said. This was hardly the first time he had seen Obi-Wan since Naboo, but that was what he went for.

Obi-Wan smiled, everything was forgotten. All that mattered was this one moment. He had wished for this conversation for years, now he was here, he didn't know what to say.

There were so many questions he wanted to ask.

"It's been too long, my friend." He finally said with a smile, before the silence could set in.

Qui-Gon loved it when Obi-Wan smiled. Despite everything he had been through, it was still as bright as ever. Qui-Gon returned the smile easily.

Then reality sunk in and the smile was replaced by a look of sadness.

"Not long enough." Qui-Gon said. _Never again will I be able to touch the living. If Obi-Wan is here, then… _

"What?" Obi-Wan asked before he too understood. The last thing he remembered was drowning...

"Am I dead?", Obi-Wan asked although he already knew the answer.

_He's still so young. _Qui-Gon noted despite the beard and the slightly premature greying of his ginger hair, that made him look older than he was. "I fear so, my Padawan."

"I thought I would feel different. I mean more…", Obi-Wan stopped talking. His thoughts were somewhat jumbled.

"More one with the Force?", Qui-Gon finished his former Padawan's sentence and Obi-Wan nodded. Qui-Gon had felt it as well. It was like Obi-Wan was still transitioning.

Obi-Wan stroked his beard and then stopped when Qui-Gon smiled slightly at the gesture.

"I have so many questions.", he admitted. "I don't even know where to start…"

Qui-Gon nodded knowingly. Over the years he had heard some of them when Obi-Wan spoke to his former Master before laughing at himself for asking a dead man questions. Qui-Gon had always answered, but Obi-Wan never heard.

"I am proud of you Obi-Wan, proud of the man you have become." Qui-Gon smiled broadly "My Padawan, on the High Council. I shouldn't be surprised, you have always been wiser than me."

Obi-Wan averted his gaze. He had been asking himself for years whether Qui-Gon would be proud of him.

"You thought I would say something else?" Qui-Gon inquired, "Just look at what you have achieved." He waited for Obi-Wan to meet his gaze again. "Technically, you outrank me now." He added with a chuckle.

"Master I…" Obi-Wan stopped and smiled at himself. He had so easily fallen back into old habits. Qui-Gon would always be his Master. "Thank you." Obi-Wan finished. In those two words were so many things he didn't know how else to express, he knew Qui-Gon would understand.

* * *

Out of nowhere, Obi-Wan winced as he felt an ache spread through his chest.

"Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon's words were laced with worry. Obi-Wan was one with the Force now, he shouldn't be able to feel pain. He reached out to steady the young man, but his hand went straight through him.

"What's happening?" Obi-Wan asked with both confusion and panic in his eyes.

But then Qui-Gon understood, and all he felt was relief when he spoke. "You need to go back."

"What? No. I can't leave you again." Obi-Wan said. And there he was, not Master Kenobi, not General Kenobi - but a boy who didn't want to lose the closest thing he had ever had to a father. _Not again._

Qui-Gon reached for Obi-Wan's shoulder and when his hand didn't go through him again, he wrapped his arms around Obi-Wan and pulled him close.

"I'm not going anywhere. I will always be here, looking out for you, my Padawan. But now you must go, you do not belong here yet." Qui-Gon said softly.

Obi-Wan was being pulled back to life and Qui-Gon was going to make sure he went.

"I love you." Obi-Wan said. He said it so quietly, he thought Qui-Gon might not hear. They were words he rarely said, but so often thought. Yes, there was the no-attachment-rule, but that wasn't the only reason why he couldn't say them. He never wanted to put himself out there like that, where he was vulnerable. Saying it made it so much more real and there was no going back, but now he had.

As Jedi, Qui-Gon and his Padawan had never directly shown such affection as they were now. Qui-Gon had always know how much Obi-Wan cared about him, and he only hoped that Obi-Wan knew how much he cared as well. But now, such avoidances seemed trivial, they didn't matter. Qui-Gon needed this, he hadn't done it on Naboo, but he would now. So, holding his former Padawan close, Qui-Gon kissed the top of Obi-Wan's head and said, "I love you too."

Obi-Wan disappeared in his arms, leaving Qui-Gon alone but with a content smile on his face before he faded back into the deeper currents of the Force.

* * *

Blaster fire whizzed past Cody's head as he reached the unconscious General who was still being held by the creature. He took the lightsaber that was starting to slip from General Kenobi's hand and ignited it to cut through the tentacle.

The creature gave a loud screeching sound and retracted its tentacles defensively. Clearly it had decided that this meal wasn't worth the effort.

Cody held the General by the waist as he swam back to the surface. Boil and Trip swam behind, never taking their eyes off the creature.

They reached the surface and were met by a handful of Clones who helped them out of the lake. They retreated back into the forest, far enough so that the creature wouldn't be able to reach them if it decided to change its mind. Then carefully, they lay the General on the ground.

The team medic, Ray, quickly knelt beside the unconscious Jedi. It had been just over 2 minutes since he was pulled into the lake.

Ray took a pulse, even though he suspected that he wouldn't find one, and he didn't. Without hesitation, he started CPR. Pushing down hard on the man's chest, he made his attempt to resuscitate the General, never once letting himself think what he knew some of the Clones were thinking - that it was too late.

Diligently, he counted the compressions before giving the General two short breaths and starting over again. He simply repeated, he couldn't do anything else.

Ray continued for 3 minutes, his arms were beginning to ache, but he didn't stop. He could sense everyone else losing hope as they remained silent. But Ray wouldn't lose hope, General Kenobi had survived worse than this.

* * *

Whilst the other Clones sat or stood silently in groups, Cody couldn't stop pacing. But not once did he take his eyes off the unconscious General. He still held the lightsaber in his hand. He gripped it tightly as he silently pleaded for the General to wake up. Cody didn't know what he would do if General Kenobi died. He would have to inform the Jedi. He would have to inform General Skywalker…

Water dripped steadily from his armour as he continued to pace. _Even if he recovers, he won't be able to travel. _He thought. _We won't make the rendezvous in time. I'll have to contact General Skywalker. _

But first he had to wait for Ray to either succeed in saving the General, or... not. There would be no point in worrying General Skywalker when Cody didn't yet know what the situation was.

His comlink went off and he stopped pacing to answer it.

"Cody here."

"Where's Obi-Wan?!" The voice on the other end demanded, with no introduction and complete lack of formality or restraint. Definitely General Skywalker.

Cody glanced to where Ray was still trying to resuscitate the General and sighed. _What am I supposed to say? _Cody should have known that General Skywalker would know. They had that Force connection… thing.

"We have a…" Cody stopped talking when he heard the distinct sound of someone coughing up water. "Situation." He finished before hanging up and turning around.

* * *

"He hung up on me!" Anakin said with a deep frown on his face.

"I'm sure it's nothing, they probably just ran into some trouble, Sir." Rex tried to assure, but General Skywalker wasn't having any of it.

"Something's wrong, I can feel it." Anakin's voice drifted off slightly as he stared in the direction Obi-Wan and his troops were supposed to be coming from. He had felt Obi-Wan… disappear, and a sense of dread had filled him since.

"Sir?" Rex inquired and Anakin knew that he was waiting for orders.

"Do we know their current location?" He asked in that tone of voice that made Rex stand at attention because he knew that the situation was serious. That's what Anakin liked about his Captain; they understood each other.

"Last communication we had, they were about 15 clicks north-east of the rendezvous point. It should take them at least another 2 hours to get here, by my estimate."

Anakin threw another glance at the path Obi-Wan should be coming down. "Prep a small group of speeders, if I can't contact the 212th, we're going to look for them."

Rex seemed to hesitate. "Sir, they still have plenty of time to make the rendezvous. This is hardly the first time things haven't gone to plan, I'm sure General Kenobi can handle it…"

"That was an order, Captain." Anakin said, interrupting Rex. He knew that it must seem like he's overreacting to the Clone, but Anakin could sense it in the Force; something wasn't right with Obi-Wan and that worried him.

"Yes, Sir." And with that Rex got to work.

* * *

"Sir? General Skywalker is trying to contact you, what should I tell him?"

Cody turned to look at his brother with uncertainty, because that was a good question. Cody had dodged the general's last call and he knew that Obi-Wan had missed several calls as well. So, he had to tell General Skywalker _something _or that man would turn up all guns blazing; that was the last thing Cody needed.

Cody glanced back towards Obi-Wan who was still sitting in front of him with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders and a blank look on his face. His damp hair hung sombrely over his right eye, but he had made no attempt to put it back in its place like he usually would.

Cody opened his mouth to give the clone, Tiptoe, a reply but none came. Obi-Wan was alive but he hadn't said a word since Ray brought him back, not even to complain when the medic started checking him over for injuries; this worried Cody more than anything else. Perhaps they needed General Skywalker after all, but Cody dreaded to think how Anakin would react to this.

"Tell him we won't make the rendezvous and we require his assistance." He finally said.

Tiptoe nodded and left to relay the message.

He was gone barely long enough to have said the whole sentence before Cody realised, he was standing next to him again.

The commander frowned slightly but his confusion disappeared as soon as Tiptoe spoke.

"General Skywalker is already on his way."

"How far out is he?" Cody asked.

"He didn't say."

_Of course, he didn't. _Cody thought to himself. "Thank you. Return to your post, Tiptoe."

Tiptoe left as silently as he had come, and Cody was left alone with his General again. He cautiously took a seat next to the Jedi and in silence they waited for Anakin together.

It was less than half an hour before Cody heard the distinct sound of speeders approaching.

* * *

Anakin was surprised when he reached the 212th's location to find everyone seemingly sitting around, doing nothing. Commander Cody made his way towards him, but Anakin had spotted Obi-Wan and ran towards his former Master without waiting to hear what the clone had to say.

"Master!" Anakin yelled as he reached Obi-Wan and knelt down in front of him.

Obi-Wan didn't react.

"Obi-Wan, what happened?" Anakin asked frantically.

Before he knew what was happening, Obi-Wan had his arms wrapped around him and if Anakin didn't know any better, he would say that the always calm Jedi Master was crying.

Anakin carefully wrapped his arms around Obi-Wan, he wasn't sure how he was supposed to handle the situation, he had never seen his Master cry before.

Anakin looked around slightly and saw Cody standing close by looking relieved, or maybe that was worry, he was seeing? It was disconcerting either way.

"What happened here?"

Cody seemed unsure how to respond. "We were attacked, Sir."

"Separatists?" Anakin asked without giving Cody a chance to continue.

The clone shook his head. "There was a creature in the lake… It got the General. We managed to get him out but..."

"But what?"

"His heart had stopped, Ray had just managed to revive him when you first called, Sir."

"He DIED?!" Anakin yelled. No wonder he had felt Obi-Wan disappear, he had drowned!

Cody winced but he still held his posture. He was being debriefed by a general after all.

"What else happened?" Anakin asked. Obi-Wan and he had been in a lot of life-threatening situations before, but they usually ended with some joke or sarcastic comment. But one look at Obi-Wan told Anakin that there was more to this; something truly terrible must have happened.

"I don't know, Sir." Cody said honestly.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Anakin demanded.

"Anakin." A small voice said but Anakin didn't pay attention to it. When Cody's eyes went wide Anakin realised that it had been Obi-Wan who had spoken.

"Dismissed, Commander." Anakin threw over his shoulder as he turned his full attention to Obi-Wan. He didn't even wait to see whether the Clone actually left.

"Master?"

"Stop harassing my Commander." Obi-Wan replied in a manner that was supposed to be teasing. But Anakin could tell that his heart wasn't in it, so he ignored the comment.

"Master, what happened?" Anakin tried to sound calm like Obi-Wan would if the situation were reversed, he wasn't sure how well he succeeded though.

Obi-Wan didn't reply for a long while. Anakin thought he might have gone back to not talking. But then he carefully pulled away from Anakin and looked at him.

"I saw Qui-Gon." He said.

Anakin wasn't sure whether he understood correctly. Qui-Gon Jinn had been dead for years, how could Obi-Wan have seen him? But Anakin could tell that Obi-Wan didn't need his former Padawan to question him.

So, Anakin asked the only thing that seemed appropriate: "Are you alright?" But even that seemed a little redundant.

Obi-Wan snorted softly and shook his head. "But I will be."

Anakin moved to sit next to Obi-Wan, offering his shoulder to rest on. "Alright."

* * *

Anakin sent Cody and Rex onwards to the rendezvous point with the 212th, they left the speeders so that Anakin and Obi-Wan could meet them there later. But for now, they just sat in silence on the edge of the woods. The lake was within view, but it looked calm and peaceful in the light of the setting sun. All Anakin could feel was peace as he leant back against a tree. Obi-Wan had fallen asleep against his shoulder and Anakin wanted to wait for the last possible moment to wake him up before dragging him back to the rendezvous point. For now, he just watched the sun set and listened to the Force humming contently.

And for a single moment, Anakin was sure he could see a man smiling at him.

"Look after him, Anakin."


End file.
